In Division II, defending-champion Bellows Falls, finalist Burr and Burton and trendy pick Fair Haven appear to be the top contenders. Windsor, the D-III champ, is a heavy favorite in a league that downsized to just seven teams when Oxbow cancelled its varsity schedule earlier this month.

And with that, here’s a closer look at the contenders in each division, plus a Players to Watch list for every team outside Chittenden County:

DIVISION I

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Hartford's Tyler Hamilton, left, forces a break up in the Division I high school football state championship game in November.(Photo: GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS)

The Hurricanes return just six starters from last year's championship team that went 10-0 against Vermont foes.

The graduated losses are notable to the eye of the hardcore fan.

"We lost pretty much our entire offensive line, a tailback, our quarterback, a linebacker and two defensive tackles," Hartford coach Matt Trombly said. "It left some big holes to fill."

That said, Trombly can bank on a savvy, talented group of skill-position players to keep Hartford among the title contenders — if not the favorite to repeat.

Tyler Hamilton, the leader of Hartford's defense a year ago, will be pulling double-duty in that department this fall as the team's signal-caller. Hamilton (559 rushing yards and 11 total TDs in 2016) has experience under center — the rally vs. Rutland comes to mind — while fellow returnees Kody Rhodes, the team's top rusher last year with 777 yards and 10 scores, Hunter Perkins (523 yards, seven TDs) and Nick Porter (461-7) are just more examples of Hartford's backfield riches

"We really have good skill kids. It's up front where we've yet to be tested," Trombly said. "It's a process to get better, to get in rhythm."

Like Hartford, St. Johnsbury did suffer key hits via graduation while welcoming back program veterans.

St. Johnsbury head coach Rich Alercio directs during the high school football game between the St. Johnsbury Hilltoppers and the Champlain Valley Union Redhawks last year.(Photo: BRIAN JENKINS/for the FREE PRESS)

On the line, Tom Emery and James Hayes return to lead a unit that helped the Hilltoppers collect 52 touchdowns and over 4,000 yards on offense a year ago. Jasper Rankin (35 catches, 701 yards, eight TDs) will be a big target for quarterback Jake Cady, who was a successful fill-in a year ago when Collin Urie was hurt.

Shane Alercio, a versatile, pass-catching back, and Matt Roy will join Cady in the backfield.

After Hartford and St. Johnsbury, the D-I contenders for the eight playoff spots are much less clear cut.

There are questions in Rutland, but the Raiders are always relevant. The proof: Rutland has reached the playoffs every year since 2000. Colchester and Rice, postseason participants in D-I last year, are lurking once again. The Lakers and Green Knights both lost productive backs to graduation (Matt Hesford, Jack Fitzgerald) but reinforcements appear on the way.

And Mount Mansfield and Burlington have D-I talent on their rosters. But can they stay competitive over two months in the state's top league?

DIVISION II

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Bellows Falls players celebrate their victory over Burr & Burton during the Division 2 high school football state championship in Rutland on Saturday, November 12, 2016. (Photo: GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS)

The offseason realignment dramatically altered Division II.

While Burlington and MMU jumped to D-I, Mount Anthony dropped down and Spaulding, Otter Valley and U-32 went up to balloon D-II to 11 programs.

The growth also forced playoff expansion, creating a quarterfinal round for the first time in D-II.

But after all that jostling, the usual suspects still pop up first on coaches' radars: Bellows Falls, Burr and Burton, and Fair Haven.

The champion Terriers, while they did say goodbye to 16 seniors, return standouts Logan Cota and Shane Clark. Cota and Clark are captains with lineman Reno Tuttle, whose nomination was rarity for a junior in the BF program, according to coach Bob Lockerby.

"I have some good boys, but when you are untested you have to earn your way," Lockerby said.

Burr and Burton, the 2015 champion and unbeaten in each of the last three regular seasons, begins a new era in Manchester. For the first time in eight years, coach Jason Thomas won't have a Stalcup under center.

The graduation of dual-threat quarterback Griff Stalcup, the Gatorade and Free Press player of the year in 2016, has Thomas handing over his offense to Jay McCoy, a two-way star who's coming off a 40-catch, 600-yard, 12-touchdown season.

"We're taking our best football player and putting him at quarterback," Thomas said. "Jay has big shoes to fill and him and I have a shorter window to figure it out, but he has a pretty high athletic IQ and he's going to get better as the season goes on."

Mark Wade and WIll Frank are veterans on the line and Connor Simonds is a four-year starter on defense for BBA, which has Burlington and Middlebury for nonleague tilts this fall.

DIVISION III

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Windsor's Hunter Patenaude (6) breaks off a long touchdown ahead of Otter Valley's William Ross (17) and Colby McKay during the Division III high school football championship on Saturday at Rutland High School.
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Otter Valley's William Ross, right, hauls in a one-handed catch under pressure from Windsor's Dakota Page (7) during the Division III high school football championship on Saturday at Rutland High School.
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Windsor's Zachary McLeod gives the ball back to the official after intercepting a pass in the end zone during the Division III high school football championship on Saturday at Rutland High School.
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Windsor's Hunter Patenaude (6) breaks off a long touchdown run along the sideline during the Division III high school football championship against Otter Valley on Saturday at Rutland High School.
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Windsor's Robert Slocum, left, and Hunter Patenaude (6) bring down Otter Valley's Collin Parker (28) on a first-half kickoff return during the Division III high school football championship on Saturday at Rutland High School.
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Windsor's Hunter Patenaude, right, wraps up Otter Valley's Tyson Cram after a catch during the Division III high school football championship on Saturday at Rutland High School.
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Otter Valley quarterback Tyler Rowe (15) gets set under center for a snap in the red zone during the Division III high school football championship on Saturday at Rutland High School.
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Otter Valley's Tyson Cram (25) is wrapped up by Windsor's Robert Slocum on a kickoff return during the Division III high school football championship on Saturday at Rutland High School.
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Compiling a perfect record and winning its first title since 2009, it would be understandable if Windsor's mental edge wasn't as sharp in the hunt for a repeat.

Think again.

"This is the first time since I've been head coach where the kids know from Day 1 what to do," Windsor coach Greg Balch said. "You always worry about that with a team that's had success, but they've all been coming to practice an hour early, they work hard and all they talk about is their first game against Springfield — and not about the playoffs."

Balch's Yellow Jackets are a seasoned bunch with about 10 key returnees, many of whom are two-way starters. That list includes Balch's son, Seth Balch, the team's quarterback, and linemen stalwarts Duncan Frazer and Ben Meagher.

Running back Trevor Worrall, who missed the second half of last season with an ACL injury, is cleared to play and should figure heavily in Windsor's game plan once again.

Challengers to Windsor's throne include Woodstock and Mill River. Woodstock, upset in last year's semifinals, bring back just four varsity players. The skill is there, the Wasps just need time to develop, coach Ramsey Worrell said.

"I like our size, I like our talent. We just don't have depth and we'r'e short on experience," Worrell said.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

A list of players from outside Chittenden County to watch this season (as collected through conversations and emails with the state’s coaches):